How to Cook Food in an Unusual Way

“I was sitting quietly, peacefully. Then I got hungry. After that—everything’s a blur”

ALF

Even the best day can be ruined by the loud growl of an empty stomach—especially when it happens in public. Hunger is merciless and never lets you forget about it. It doesn’t care that you have no chance to grab a snack, even if the reasons are completely out of your control.

A week left until payday and no money for groceries? Hunger doesn’t care.
Gas and electricity shut off because of an emergency? Hunger is unimpressed.

So what do you do when your stomach is already eating itself, and there are no working utilities to cook food right now?

In the science-meets-cooking book The Global Technology, we’ve gathered ways to avoid going hungry under any circumstances—and to prepare food using nothing but everyday items and a bit of ingenuity.
Bon appétit.

During a routine gas inspection, one of your neighbors refused to open the door for the gas service workers. As a result, the entire building temporarily lost an essential utility and is now waiting for that irresponsible neighbor to change their mind and allow the inspection to prevent a possible leak.

This process can drag on, so sooner or later you’ll have to think about how to cook dinner without gas. Sure, you could always make a couple of ham sandwiches—but our science-cooking book is ready to offer something more creative.

There are plenty of ways to cook pasta without using gas. We suggest three unconventional methods—pick the one you like best.

You will need:

• Your favorite pasta
• A microwave oven
• One very deep bowl
• One smaller, shallow plate
• One glass of water
• Salt, pepper, bay leaf (to taste)

Instructions:

Take a portion of dry pasta and place it in a deep bowl. Add a glass of water so that the liquid covers the pasta only halfway. Toss in a bay leaf, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the bowl with the pasta using the smaller plate turned upside down. Place the whole setup into the microwave and cook at 800 watts for 10 minutes. The dish is ready.

With this method, the pasta doesn’t turn mushy—it stays firm and flavorful. Thanks to the small amount of water, you’ll end up with a rich, concentrated broth at the bottom. If you add ketchup, mayonnaise, or your favorite sauce at the end, you’ll get a filling and surprisingly satisfying meal.

You will need:

• Your favorite pasta
• An electric kettle
• Salt

Instructions:

Thoroughly rinse the inside of the kettle to remove dirt, scale, and any suspicious microbes. Fill the kettle with cold water to about two-thirds of its capacity, then add a small pinch of salt—roughly 1–2 grams.

Carefully lower the pasta into the water, close the lid, and turn the kettle on. After 3–4 minutes of boiling at 212°F, the pasta will float—but it won’t be ready to eat yet.

Give the kettle a short break so it doesn’t feel exploited, then turn it on again. After another 2–3 minutes, the pasta can be removed, transferred to a plate, and enjoyed as a surprisingly filling dinner.

Don’t forget to wash the kettle thoroughly afterward—unless you want your next cup of tea to carry a subtle note of pasta.

You will need:

• Your favorite pasta (as much as you like, but you’ll have to cook it in small batches)
• An electric coffee pot
• Salt

Instructions:

Pour cold water into the coffee pot, making sure not to exceed the maximum fill line. Add a small handful of pasta and a pinch of salt.

Turn the pot on and bring the contents to a boil—around 194–203°F. Check the pasta for doneness. If needed, turn the pot on again and let it finish cooking.

Transfer the cooked pasta to a plate, replace the water, and repeat the process until you’ve prepared the desired amount.

Wash the coffee pot thoroughly after dinner. However, if you feel adventurous and want to try a pasta-flavored latte, you may skip this step.

Pasta is great for lunch and dinner, but a lack of gas can catch you early in the morning and deprive you of your usual hot breakfast. Cottage cheese, fruit salads with Greek yogurt, and sandwiches are reliable classics—but we’ve prepared a few options that will help you keep your morning routine intact.

You will need:

• Eggs (2)
• Water
• Milk
• Salt
• A microwave

Instructions:

Beat two eggs in any convenient container with a small pinch of salt. Add two tablespoons of water and one tablespoon of milk, then beat again.

Place the mixture in the microwave for 3–4 minutes. If desired, add spices or fresh herbs to the finished omelet.

Breakfast is served.

You will need:

• Quick-cooking oats or millet flakes
• Milk
• Sugar
• Salt
• Butter
• Jam
• A microwave or a multicooker

Insructions (Microwave):

You’ll need about ½ cup of quick oats or millet flakes, 1½ cups of milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Combine everything in a glass or ceramic bowl.

Microwave for 2 minutes, remove and stir, then return for another 2 minutes. If the porridge seems too thick, add a little more milk while stirring.

Top with a piece of butter or a spoonful of jam, if desired.

Instructions (Multicooker):

Use 400 ml of milk, 40 g of oats or millet flakes, and 10 g of butter. Pour the milk into the bowl, add the flakes, and select the Porridge setting. Once ready, finish with butter and jam.

The gas still hasn’t been restored, so the electrical load in the building has increased severalfold. The wiring—unchanged since the last century—fails under the strain. And to make matters worse, hunger feels even sharper in the dark.

Instead of lying down and preparing to perish dramatically from starvation, light a candle and turn to our science-cooking book. It contains advice on how to prepare food even under such extreme conditions.

If you live in a sunny country and have a balcony, that alone is more than enough to cook yourself a decent breakfast or lunch.

You will need:

• A black metal pot with a lid
• Thick cardboard
• Aluminum foil
• A plastic bag

How to make it:

Cover the cardboard with aluminum foil and bend it to match the shape of your pot. The foil will act as a reflector, concentrating sunlight onto the black metal surface of the pot.

Cover the pot with a glass lid and wrap it in a transparent plastic bag to reduce heat loss. Place the finished setup on a balcony or porch where it will receive direct sunlight.

Wait until everything heats up properly, then start cooking.

The list of dishes a homemade solar oven can handle is impressively long—from baked eggplant with feta cheese to pumpkin muffins with cottage cheese. The main thing is to keep an eye on the sun and be patient: a solar oven cooks two to three times slower than a conventional one.

You will need:

• A commercially made solar grill
• A frying pan or pot
• Ingredients for your meal

How it works:

If you happen to own a solar grill—congratulations. A solar grill looks a bit like a satellite dish covered in a mirror-like reflective surface. Its base is a parabolic “dish” made up of several curved segments arranged along a precisely calculated arc.

Sunlight hits the dish, reflects, and converges at a single focal point. At the center of this point is the cooking surface, where you place a pan or pot. For safety and convenience, the back of the grill has an opening to prevent burns and protect your eyes from the intense reflected light.

The device can reach temperatures of up to 572°F. A solar grill can boil, fry, and even bake dishes of almost any complexity—from pancakes to roasted meat with vegetables.

If you live in a country where sunshine is a rare guest, don’t despair. There are still plenty of ways to cook food under such conditions—and we’re happy to share them.

You will need:

• A metal box
• A metal pipe
• A window

How to make it:

Take any medium or large metal box, depending on what you plan to cook. For most basic dishes, an old electrical cabinet will do—just make sure it’s cleaned and treated beforehand.

Attach a metal pipe to the box and route it outside through a window. Voilà! You now have an improvised indoor stove-fireplace where you can build a fire and cook meat, fish, vegetables, and even marshmallows or stuffed banana boats for tea.

After cooking, there’s no need to put the fire out immediately—you can enjoy your meal beside a warm little fireplace of your own making.

You will need:

• A packet with a special chemical heating agent
• Water
• Food in airtight plastic or metal containers

Instructions:

Purchase a flameless chemical heater based on inorganic salts and aluminum. It usually comes in the form of a sealed packet containing a heat-producing chemical mixture.

Place food in airtight metal or plastic packaging—such as canned goods or ration packs—inside the packet with the heating mixture. Then add water.

Within seconds, the chemical reagent enters an exothermic reaction with the water, heating it until it turns into steam. The resulting vapor warms the food—or even cooks it in a makeshift steam bath—in a short amount of time, helping you defeat an uninvited bout of hunger.

You will need:

• Paraffin candles
• A deep container
• Cotton fabric or thick rope scraps
• Food to cook

Instructions:

Take standard paraffin candles and melt the wax in a deep container. Place pieces of thick rope or cotton fabric into the liquid wax to act as wicks for a future oversized candle.

Let the wax harden, then light the improvised wick. The resulting candle can produce enough heat to fry meat or fish.

If you only have a single standard candle, you can still use it to warm up a can of preserved food—but be prepared to spend a very long time waiting.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
When life takes away your gas and electricity, open The Global Technology science-cooking book and see for yourself that the absence of modern utilities is no reason to starve—or to survive on sandwiches alone.

Creativity and patience are the most important ingredients in any dish. The key is knowing how to use them properly.